View full sizeRichard Shahan, seen here in his most recent mugshot taken at the Davidson County Sheriff's Department in Tennessee.

In a Thursday afternoon press conference,
Homewood police Chief Jim Roberson confirmed that "certain
inconsistencies in interviews" continually led investigators back to
Richard Shahan as the main suspect in the July 2013 murder of his wife,
Karen.

Shahan, 53,who was arrested by Homeland Security agents at the
Nashville airport on New Year's Day, was attempting to board a plane to
Germany and eventually make his way to Russia, Roberson said.

Roberson said he thought Shahan was "shocked" when he was pulled out of line and detained. He had already checked in at the airline desk and checked his luggage.

Exact details as to why Shahan
was charged at this point in the investigation are still limited. Chief
Roberson did confirm that investigators were able to establish motive, but they
are not able to elaborate at this point.

"It will become readily
apparent as we move into the trial process," Roberson said. "There
are very few new details of which we can go into great elaboration because it
is an ongoing investigation."

Several weeks ago, Shahan
expressed his intent to leave the country, but at that point there was still
"physical evidence" that had to be processed, Roberson said, adding
that if Shahan had been allowed to leave the country and make it into Russia,
chances of extradition would have been "nil."

Attorneys Wendell Sheffield and John Lentine, who are representing Shahan, say statements implying that Shahan was fleeing the country are disingenuous and misleading.

"Some of the inferences that were put out there in the news conference made it sound like Richard was trying to leave the country and never come back," Lentine said. "Anybody who's been keeping up with this knows that Richard had announced months ago that he was planning on going on another mission trip like he did in 2012."

Sheffield said that arresting Shahan in that manner was done intentionally so he could be held without bond after police described him as a flight risk.

"The investigation has been pending for half a year," Sheffield said. "Is he supposed to put his life on hold until they come to a determination not to arrest him?"

The attorneys also contest investigators' comments about inconsistencies in Shahan's statements.

"The chief is saying 'We've got our man,' then saying it's an ongoing investigation," Lentine said. "There's your inconsistency. The reality is they've always looked at Richard, and they didn't bother to look any further out than that."

They believe Shahan will waive extradition in order to return as soon as possible for a hearing in Jefferson County.

"Ultimately, the facts and issues will be resolved in a courtroom," Lentine said.

Shahan is currently
being held without bond at the Davidson County (Tenn.) Sheriff's
Department and is awaiting a Jan. 7 extradition hearing. Roberson said that although he doesn't
have a timeline for Shahan's return to Alabama, he estimates a week to 10
days, depending on whether Shahan agrees to be extradited.

Both Roberson and Homewood
Mayor Scott
McBrayer reiterated that the purpose of the press conference was not to
disclose details of the Shahan case, but to bring some closure to the family of Karen Shahan. Roberson also stressed that he hopes the charges against Richard Shahan will

reassure Homewood citizens that their neighborhood is "a safe place to live and work."

"I'm not sure the public realizes how many man hours were put into this case," McBrayer said. "It's a good day for Homewood."

McBrayer thanked federal
partners from the ICE offices in Birmingham and Nashville, as well as Homewood Lt. Dan Smith and his detective division for their work on the case.

Karen Louise
Shahan's body
was discovered about 11:15 a.m. July 23 inside the family's Hugh Circle home.
Police have not confirmed how she was killed, but sources told AL.com she
was stabbed to death. The house appeared to be in disarray, and a window was
broken.

"All of us were saddened by the unexpected news that Richard Shahan was arrested by Homeland Security just moments before his planned flight departure for Frankfurt, Germany," the statement reads. "There he was to assume his new role working with the Children's ministry of Bible Mission International, primarily in Kazakhstan. As we know, on November 29 Richard announced his plans to pursue this mission ministry."